The Haunt was made for nights like this. Sweaty, intense, a show teetering on the edge of chaos but always staying just about in control due to the good intentions of the crowd. It was the scene for the return of Marmozets to Brighton as they warmed up for shows at Reading and Leeds, as well as their soon-to-be-released second album. In the week that they dropped their new single ‘Play’, it was an exciting time to welcome back one of the British rock scene’s most exciting acts.

Support came from Guildford punk band BlackWaters, who gave a show that was easily the equal to many headline bands at this level. Frontman Max Tanner is a constantly moving and fizzing ball of energy throughout, drawing deeply from the same pool as Jamie T and Joe Strummer. ‘Let The Good Times Roll’ and ‘Fuck Yeah’ already sound like anthems for life in 2017 and beyond, a mix of sleazy garage rock and bruising slabs of punk in the vein of early Libertines. This band surely stand on the cusp of greatness, with a sound that makes you feel unstoppable and fully alive. Guitarist David Carpenter began the night battling the infamous Haunt pillar but, by the end, he was wrapped around it to drag even more distortion out of his guitar. BlackWaters were infectious, exciting, everything that is great about the UK indie scene at the moment wrapped up in four talented individuals.

With a three year gap since their debut album The Weird and Wonderful Marmozets, there must always be a concern as to whether their fans have stayed with them or moved on to new loves. From the very start, it was clear that Marmozets should fear for nothing as fans gathered from around the region. The crowd surge as they began the set was irresistible, stage-diver after stage-diver flowing from the stage in a never-ending tide. By the first chorus of ‘Move, Shake, Hide’, bassist Will Bottomley had joined them as he crowd-surfed with bass in hand. New single ‘Play’ swiftly followed, sounding even more incendiary live than on record with its chorus of: “I don’t dance ‘cause I want to, I dance ‘cause I need to” sounding more like an order rather than a statement. Frontwoman Becca MacIntyre was like a punk-rock Daenerys throughout, intensely stalking backwards and forwards, dominating the entire stage. The atmosphere and emotions were heightened throughout, both from the band and audience, bringing tears from both sides as she thanked the crowd for sticking around for them this long.

There was a great balance of new and old tracks tonight. Out of the new material, ‘Like A Battery’ is great fun, a fantastically heavy and dirty track that has more than a hint of glam rock stomp in it. ‘Run With The Rhythm’ was deceptively slow to begin with on the surface but, by the end, it had reached such a crescendo that drummer Josh MacIntyre was forced out of his seat by the sheer relentless power of his beat. Whereas the band had to good-naturedly hurry a few of the stage-divers off at times, guitarist Sam MacIntyre took a moment before ‘Born Young And Free’ to invite everyone in the crowd to, “Go nuts, do whatever the fuck you want to do to this one”. This was the perfect night and the perfect venue for that instruction and the frenzy on-stage that followed was sensational. Fans took the opportunity to dance with their heroes and heroine, and were met with welcome arms.

By the time the show ended with a volcanic ‘Why Do You Hate Me?’, Becca had proclaimed this to be the best show of the tour by far and fell into a warm embrace with most of the front of the crowd. Promising to return much sooner next time, the band left the screaming audience baying for one more song – a wish unfulfilled, but even if they had played all night it was unlikely that there would have been any sating of the crowd’s lust for more. This was a show that redefined what a triumphant return should look like, with a strength of bond between band and fans rarely seen. As Marmozets prepare to ascend to the next level, Brighton is already counting down the days until they next return. Welcome back.

Jamie MacMillan

Website – marmozets.co.uk/marmozetsplay
Facebook – facebook.com/marmozets
Twitter – twitter.com/MARMOZETS